Hit Parade: Blame It on the Feign, Part 1
For a musical project that\u2019s synonymous with deceit, Milli Vanilli sold an awful lot of records. They also have quite a legacy: a blend of pop, dance and rap that now seems commonplace but was still relatively novel in 1989. If you\u2019ve danced to Europop that fronts like hip-hop, you\u2019re living in a world Milli Vanilli helped create.\n\xa0\nIn this episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy breaks down the history of Milli Vanilli mastermind Frank Farian\u2019s musical career: from his days with Boney M, a hit-making, half-real, half-fake group that was a precursor to his later scheme; to his enlistment of European model\u2013dancers Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan to be the faux-frontpeople of Milli Vanilli. From MTV News to Behind the Music, the Milli Vanilli story has been told and retold. But the Billboard chart feats achieved by Rob and Fab, and their accomplices, reveal just how addicted America was to their music\u2014and maybe, how they won that Grammy.\n\nHit Parade episodes are now split into two parts, released two weeks apart. For the full episode right now, sign up for Slate Plus and you'll also get The Bridge, our Trivia show and bonus deep dive. Click here for more info.\xa0\xa0\n\nPodcast production by Asha Saluja with help from Rosemary Belson.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices